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Lament: The Faerie Queen's Deception (Books of Faerie #1)

Lament: The Faerie Queen's Deception (Books of Faerie #1)

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Lament: The Faerie Queen's Deception (Books of Faerie #1)

Author(s)

Maggie Stiefvater

Publisher

Flux

Genre(s)

General Fiction

Age Range

12+

Release Date

October 08, 2008

ISBN

0738713708

Buy This Book

Sixteen-year-old Deirdre Monaghan is a painfully shy but prodigiously gifted musician. She's about to find out she's also a cloverhand—one who can see faeries. Deirdre finds herself infatuated with a mysterious boy who enters her ordinary suburban life, seemingly out of thin air. Trouble is, the enigmatic and gorgeous Luke turns out to be a gallowglass—a soulless faerie assassin. An equally hunky—and equally dangerous—dark faerie soldier named Aodhan is also stalking Deirdre. Sworn enemies, Luke and Aodhan each have a deadly assignment from the Faerie Queen. Namely, kill Deirdre before her music captures the attention of the Fae and threatens the Queen's sovereignty. Caught in the crossfire with Deirdre is James, her wisecracking but loyal best friend. Deirdre had been wishing her life weren't so dull, but getting trapped in the middle of a centuries-old faerie war isn't exactly what she had in mind . . .

Lament is a dark faerie fantasy that features authentic Celtic faerie lore, plus cover art and interior illustrations by acclaimed faerie artist Julia Jeffrey.

Editor reviews

2 reviews

Perfect as Perfect

March 10, 2009

Overall rating

5.0

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The first time I read Lament, I picked it up intending only to skim the opening pages. They were so compelling that I couldnt keep myself from consuming the whole book in one greedy bite.

Deirdre Monaghan (Dee) is an extremely talented musician. She arrives at a local competition full of anxiety, but set to play her harp and get it over with so she can return to her "ordinary life. Thats kind of a problem, since she is anything but ordinary. Dee has abilities she doesnt even know about yet&and they arent the normal kind.

Everything changes when Dee meets Luke Dillon, the boy of her dreams. Literally. Luke is as perfect as perfect. (Read it. Youll get it.) He encourages her to push herself, to step outside of safe, but he fails to mention he might be part of the danger she encounters once she does. Luke is full of mystery and magic, and hes quite possibly the most ideal supernatural male in contemporary fiction.

Yep. I said it.

I read Lament the second time because I wanted to steep my mind in the richness of the story and savor the development of the characters. Who doesnt like a strong female protagonist? (And if you dont, whats your problem?) Dee doesnt sit back and watch her world change around her shes part of the process.

The third time well, frankly the third time was just for me. Maggie Stiefvater has a way with words, people. There were moments when I was so caught up in her storytelling I forgot the setting was stateside and not somewhere in the ancient hills of the Emerald Isle. Stiefvater has a lot to offer to those who long for a good example of how to wind words into a story, and she obviously takes her craft seriously.

I only had one problem with the book, and its that it didnt come with a soundtrack. That can easily be remedied by visiting:

http://www.maggiestiefvater.com/music.html

Be prepared to be enchanted. I cant wait for the sequel and you won't be able to either Ballad, Fall 2009.

Guest Top 500 Reviewer

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User reviews

12 reviews

5 stars

75%

4 stars

17%

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Overall rating

4.6

Plot

4.7(12)

Characters

4.5(4)

Writing Style

4.5(4)

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Interesting!

September 28, 2021

Overall rating

4.3

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4.5 Stars!
Lament was an interesting novel.
I liked the characters; Dee was strong and brave. I also liked Luke and James.
The plot was mysterious and kept me wanting to read more. Looking forward to more of this series.

Fay Tannerr Top 50 Reviewer 243 reviews

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Great

March 27, 2012

Overall rating

3.7

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Lament is a great read but for me there were some down points. I loved the characters and all their beautiful flaws. But when Luke told Dee what he really was, I think she didn't react enough. For some reason I think she needed to be more surprised and not just to accept it so easily. She needed to be more scared of Luke and not relaxed. How can someone expect their boyfriend to be a fairy thing and not to react about it? I don't know anybody who wouldn't! But other than that I thought it was brilliant.

Casog Top 50 Reviewer 260 reviews

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Wonderful!

December 03, 2011

Overall rating

5.0

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LAMENT was a fast, compelling read. I really enjoyed the writing, flawed characters, and the engaging plot, and was thrilled to discover another book in this universe as well. While I had some quibbles with the music portrayed here (no competition I've ever been in allows a change at the last moment, and when does she practice??), I found this to be a fantastic read.

Jodi Meadows Top 500 Reviewer 35 reviews

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Wow

November 28, 2011

Overall rating

5.0

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What can I say about this book except WOW? Lush prose, insightful detail, tension, flawed characters I loved to be around, desperate stakes ... and supernatural hotties. Along with supernatural baddies. What a stunning book. If all you've read of Maggie's work is her Wolves of Mercy Falls series, you are missing some of her finest work. I highly recommend Lament and its sequel Ballad to all readers.

CJ Redwine, Site and Staff Manager Top 10 Reviewer 406 reviews

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Review: Lament by Maggie Stiefvater

June 24, 2010

Overall rating

5.0

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Reader reviewed by Courtney Rae (Courtney Reads)

This book follows a 16 year
old girl named Deirdre Monaghan (Dee). She is magnificent at the harp,
but
other than that, quite ordinary.
Or so she thought...
Deirdre
begins finding four leaf clovers, smelling strong herbs, and seeing a
strange red head guy.
She also meets Luke Dillon. A beautiful boy
with a few secrets.
Deidre learns that humans are not the only ones
roaming around earth. There are also
faeries. And she happens to be a
part of them. She is a cloverhand and
faeries can't help but follow
where she leads.
Deirdre also now has telekinesis.
As the story
progresses, Dee unlocks Lukes' secrets.
Is love in the air between
them? Yes and it is wrong. Possibly could destroy
either of them or
both.

I won't give away anymore because I want you to read this
book and love it yourself.
Faeries are a big book topic lately and if
you choose to read one, I recommend
it to be Lament.

Ballad
comes after Lament. It follows Deirdre's best friend, James, and
how
he deals with the actions in Lament. I can't wait to get my hands on
that one.

Maggie Stiefvater knows how to write a book. Shiver in
one of my
favorites. Definitely in my top 5.

Now, go get
Lament, curl up in your Snuggie, and fall into the amazing story Maggie
Stiefvater graced us with.

Guest #1 Reviewer

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It's alright

June 23, 2010

Overall rating

3.0

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Reader reviewed by Jillian R

Summary: Seventeen year old Janie
is anything but normal. She is keeping a secret. If anyone found out,
they'd think she's a freak. See; Janie can enter people's dreams.
Sometimes, they're good ones, but then there are the nightmares. Either
way, she doesn't like having this so-called "power." Not one bit.

Review:

Plot and Writing: I
do love the premise and the storyline of this one. It is very original,
and is something I havenot read about before. I also enjoyed the
author's style of writing. Some may call it choppy and a bit awkward,
but I have to admit, I quite liked it. I thought that it was as unique
as the plot itself.

Character: I
did like the main characters. However, I felt as if I still don't know
much about them yet. There wasn't any sort of development yet, but this
is the first book in a trilogy after all, so I'll let that
small negative pass. Despite the lack of depth, I still found them
likable and believable enough to make me want to pick up its sequel.

Overall: Wake is
a really quick read; fairly short and fast-paced. It's the intriguing
premise that ultimately captures me and my attention. Was it a good
book? Yes, but not worthy of 5 stars. I give it 3 stars instead; an
okay-good read. I still do think it's worth your time and worth
reading, as it is interesting. It's also good enough to make me look
forward for the next one.

Guest #1 Reviewer

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A Book That Will Have You Lamenting,,,The End, That Is

February 14, 2010

Overall rating

5.0

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Reader reviewed by Margay Justsice

This is one of those books that will make you fall in love with the English language all over again. Maggie Stiefvater has a special way with words; they are magical and lyrical and they just flow across the page in a way that makes you forget that you are reading. Every scene made me feel that I was right there with Deirdre, feeling and experiencing everything as she felt and experienced it. This is a very intimate book in that you feel as if you are Deirdre. I felt the blossoming of love right along with her, cringed at the coldness of her aunt with her, and wondered what the heck was going on just as she did. I walked into a new world with her as she discovered her abilities to see the fey and learned everything she could about how to deal with them - and how to figure out what they wanted from her. When she was scared, I felt my heart pumping, too; when she was excited, I found myself smiling. And I learned about harp music, something I had never read about before this.

All in all, this was a very enjoyable book. One filled with enough magic and intrigued to keep you up late at night reading when you should be sleeping! I can't say much more without inadvertently giving away the plot so I will just say this: Do yourself a favor and read this book. If you love stories about magic, fairies and the humans who somehow get mixed up with them, you will love this book.

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Brilliantly written

September 22, 2009

Overall rating

5.0

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Reader reviewed by Em

Maggie's writing style is amazing. I devoured Lament. The characters were wildly believable. Deirdre was painfully beautiful in how true she was and how wonderful the story read. Of course, I was instantly taken aback by Luke (not that I wasn't immediately enamored by James, isn't he dreamy as well...). I'd love to talk and talk and talk about this book, but simply put, it just has to be read, enjoyed, loved. There isn't much more to it than that. I was happy, thrilled, and yet all at once disappointed with the ending. I can't quite put my finger on why. But it's definitely a must read. I don't know how I'll stay out of the book store until I have money to get Ballad.

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Ahhh! I love it!

June 29, 2009

Overall rating

5.0

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Reader reviewed by Sara

Excerpt from back cover:
"Don't you know what happens to Cloverhands who cannot control the fey?"
Summary:
"On the day of an important music competition, talented but painfully introverted and nervous Deirdre Monaghan is helped to perfrom by the compelling and enigmatic Luke Dillon and find herself inexorably drawn into the mysteries and dangers of the faerie world."

This book, though it has its flaws, has been stuck in my mind since I read it couple weeks ago. Its sequel, Ballad, doesn't come out until the fall of 2009 and I find myself anxiously awaiting it. I'll start with the negatives about this book because I feel like they must be addressed as they might be distracting to the reader. The romantic plot line between Deirdre and Luke is very immuture and sudden at the onset of the novel. Luke and Deirdre meet and are immediately spending time together and expressing intrest to the extent of love. While this may work with characters that have a history or knowledge of one another, these two have just met at the beginning of the book and are Deirdre is already spending a lot of time alone with him. I find this odd and it was a bit of a distraction. I did get over it pretty quickly though because of their great chemistry together and I soon found myself rooting for their sudden relationship. I attributed Deirdre's easily given trust and affect to the fact that she is an introverted person who doesn't have a lot of experience with dating... even though she does seem pretty outgoing for someone who is supposed to be so shy.
Now on to the positives. The fey in this book are intriguing. I found myself eager to learn more about their world and why they were so interested in Deirdre's family. I also really enjoyed reading about Deirdre's best friend, James. He was a really funny character that was easy to become attached to and I found myself torn about the status of his character throughout the book.

I rate this book 9 out of 10 because the negatives are easily overlooked when one considers all the positives!

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Music and Faeries, what more could one want?

June 16, 2009

Overall rating

5.0

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Reader reviewed by Kristen

Loved this book. I was tempted to read it through dinner at my future
in-laws house, but I resisted! At least until after dinner...

Deidre
is a harp player and when she is at a competition over the summer, she
finds a gorgeous young man named Luke talking her into playing a duet
with him. He is a little more than he seems at first and she's a smart
girl, picking up on that quickly. Her grandmother also is weary of him,
ominously giving her an old iron ring and telling Luke to stay away
from her.

Deidre can't help her feelings and discovers that she
has her own abnormalities - she can see into the minds of others and
she is starting to have serious problems sleeping at night. What she
finds is that she still loves Luke and instead of faltering away from
the problems arising constantly, she seeks to help him and herself in
the process.

Faeries are real and they're definitely not all nice.

I
just loved the tempo of this book - it pulled you in and kept the
action rolling throughout the whole book. Definitely the type of book
you try your best to read in one sitting.

Guest #1 Reviewer